Writing My Next Medium Article is Damn Difficult

How to get ideas for your upcoming Medium articles — this is how I do it.

Getting ideas while taking a morning walk — Image created using Midjourney by Author

It’s one of those mornings again, the kind where the air feels just right, and the world is slowly waking up, bathed in that golden hour glow.

I’m out for my morning walk, trying to kickstart my day (and my brain) into some semblance of productivity.

The rhythm of my steps seems to sync up with the fluttering ideas in my mind, each step a potential leap towards my next Medium article.

“Come on, brain, do your thing,” I mutter to myself, half-encouraging, half-begging.

A dog barks in the distance, a bird chirps overhead, and somewhere in that symphony of everyday life, an idea starts to bubble up.

“What if I write about the simplicity of morning routines? Or the chaos of it?” I muse aloud, pulling out my phone to jot down the fleeting thought before it escapes into the ether.

Image created using Midjourney by Author

Fast forward to the daily grind, and I’m stuck in traffic, the kind that moves so slowly you’d swear time was standing still.

The radio’s playing some forgettable tune, but my mind is elsewhere, weaving through the congestion of both cars and thoughts.

“There’s something here,” I think, staring at the sea of brake lights ahead. “The parallels between traffic jams and mental blockages… Yeah, that could work.” I reach for my phone again, voice memo at the ready.

“Article idea: Navigating mental traffic jams, inspired by actual traffic jams. Explore solutions and parallels.” The voice memo captures the thought, a digital reminder for later exploration.

Then there’s the calm before the storm at the office, that precious window of time when I’m at my desk but the day’s demands haven’t yet fully descended.

I sip my coffee, the warmth, and caffeine a comforting ritual as I stare at the blank document on my screen.

“This is it, the quiet moment before chaos. There’s definitely an article in this,” I whisper to myself, fingers poised over the keyboard. “How to find peace in the small moments before the workday whirlwind.”

I start typing, the words a slow trickle at first but gradually gaining momentum.

“Finding Your Calm Before the Workday Storm,” the document is now boldly titled, a testament to this morning’s journey from walk, to traffic, to desk.

It’s in these moments, these snippets of everyday life, that the ideas come alive, finding their way onto the digital page to be shared, pondered, and maybe even smiled upon by someone, somewhere, who needed them just as much as I did.